Fireplaces have been used for centuries as a means for providing heat, for cooking and for simply decorative purposes. In recent years, fireplaces using gaseous fuels, for example natural gas, manufactured gas, and propane, have become very popular due to their efficiency, ease of operation, and cleanliness. One potential drawback of such gas fires, however, is that they tend not to be as aesthetically pleasing as natural wood fires.
Artificial solid ceramic logs for use in gas fireplaces are generally known to help provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to such fireplaces and to simulate a wood-burning fireplace. Such artificial logs were typically placed over a conventional gas burner element to help hide the burner element from view and to simulate a natural wood fire. While such artificial logs have been somewhat effective in improving the aesthetics of gas fires, they have not been entirely effective in simulating a wood burning fire wherein flame comes directly from the burning logs.
In an attempt to remedy some of the deficiencies of known artificial logs, some artificial burning log assemblies have been produced. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,513 to Whitfield (the "'513 Patent") discloses a gas burning imitation log assembly including an imitation log carried by a gas supply conduit. The assembly includes openings or slots that extend through both the gas supply conduit and the imitation log material. Gas is fed through the supply conduit and diffuses through the slots for combustion to create flames coming from the log. However, as disclosed by the '513 Patent, the artificial log material is cooler than the flame generated by the combustion gas, and thereby acts to cool the flame and hinder complete combustion of the gas. Partial combustion is undesirable for many reasons, for example, because it results in the production of noxious carbon monoxide and the buildup of soot on the log. To achieve complete combustion in the burner log disclosed by the --513 Patent, the thickness of the log and the shape and position of the slots must be selectively chosen. Additionally, artificial log materials, such as ceramic or refractory materials, are not as durable as traditional burner material when used as a burner surface.
Thus, there is still a need for additional innovations in burner-log elements to help improve burn efficiency and burner durability while still providing a realistic simulation of flame coming from a log.